Puppy Days
by NimbusFox
Summary: They say our lives are shaped by those who we meet during our time in this world. We change according to how much they influence us and their impact on our lives, we are like a canvas, open to change both good… and bad. But how can we change someone who has gone too far, one who everyone has given up on, even you? (A story of pups and their journey to adulthood.)
1. Ch 1: Will's End, A Meeting by Chance

**WHATS UP FUTHERMUCKERS?! Yeah, I'm back from my crippling depression/existential crisis/post-breakup sadness/exam anxiety/self-discovery trip to another country/ many more unimportant things :D**

 **Yeah things haven't been good for me this year at all, things got to a point where I lost all the motivation I had to keep writing, I lost interest in the Zootopia fandom (which you can thank Tumblr for) and I just went down this huuuge spiral of self-pity and wallowing until a few friends managed to pull me out.**

 **As for this, I've always wanted to write a Balto fanfiction (sorta) and this was intensified during my period of sadness this year, which I mostly spent reading Balto fanfics (They're my guilty pleasure ;) and now here it is.**

 **Thanks to my friend Tyler for all the backup on this one, I really couldn't have done it without you. :')**

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 ** _*Nome, Alaska, 11:55 P.M. Saturday, February 14th, 1925:*_**

They say our lives are shaped by those who we meet during our time in this world. We change according to how much they influence us and their impact on our lives, we are like a canvas, open to change both good… and bad. But how can we change someone who has gone too far, one who everyone has given up on, even you? Would you save someone's life, even if they have tried to destroy yours? What would you do if he harmed the person you love most? What if he crossed a line that should never be crossed, one made by an old promise? What if you used to know that person and deep down you had hope that he was still inside, somewhere… All these thoughts and questions flew through my mind in a frantic dance of memories of pain and broken promises.

But they didn't matter.

All that mattered was the dog in front of me, the one that for the past several minutes I had been hellbent to kill. I never wanted it to end like this between us, this was far from what I wished for but it was too late to go back this was ending tonight one way or another.

My thoughts were broken when I heard his icy voice.

"It ends here wolf-dog." he spoke with a venomous edge in his words.

I sighed and for a split second, I allowed myself to feel the pain his wounds had caused. He seemed tired as well bites, scratches and bruised covered his body. Most people would have cowered at the sight of Steele, the infamous sled dog who for so long inspired terror amongst other dogs but in my eyes, I only saw two pups running around laughing without a single care in the world.

Soon, before I even knew it I found myself laughing at his statement. He gave me a confused look before snarling and beginning to circle around me, a gesture that I corresponded.

"It's funny you know…" I said, my voice cutting the sound of snow crunching beneath our feet. "Because here is where it all started."

His snarl only grew louder, our eyes never breaking contact.

"I don't know what you mean!" he spat, before continuing his cycle.

"Come on Steele don't tell me you're so thick headed to actually forget this place!" I responded. "It hasn't even changed at all!"

With both stopped, silence filling our surroundings.

"But we did…" he growled, before once again assuming his fighting stance.

"Look at us, Steele… What happened?" I asked. I didn't want to fight anymore.

"Yeah, what happened indeed." he said before lunging at me.

* * *

 ** _*~Five years earlier~ Nome, Alaska, 7:52 A.M. Friday, 12th, 1920: *_**

"Dad! Dad! Wait for me!" Yelled a small black and white malamute pup while chasing after a much larger malamute.

The larger malamute stopped momentarily, turning towards the pup.

"The other team won't wait for you in a real race Steele!" he said sternly.

"But I'm too tired." Whined the pup.

"Pathetic!" Yelled the older malamute turning around completely to face the pup making him lower his head in shame and fear "I thought I was raising a sled dog, not this useless whelp!"

He growled before turning his back towards the pup.

"I want you to go around the entire town twenty times, you have until sunset." he said flatly before beginning to walk away.

"But!""No buts!" yelled his father before approaching him and putting his muzzle just inches away from his and growling "I said twenty times and you better not pull any tricks on me… Understood?"

The malamute pup just nodded his head.

"Good." said his father before running away.

After making sure his father was out of earshot Steele let out a long sigh and finally let his tears of frustration show. After crying for a short amount of time he sniffed and shook his head, digging his paws into the snow he began his father's test.

…

Meanwhile on the other side of Nome. The peaceful morning was interrupted by the sound of gunfire and yelling coming from the center of the town.

"Come back here ya thief!" yelled a man as he burst out of the butcher shop's back door. He lifted his shotgun before taking aim at a small brownish-gray pup and shooting with a loud bang but only managed to hit the snow behind the moving mass of fur. He took aim once again only to see the brown pup slink through the alleys and disappear from view. Balto as the residents of Nome called him had gotten away once again.

Even though he knew he wasn't being chased anymore Balto just couldn't afford to stop running he had to get out of Nome as fast as possible for as long as he was within its range he would never be out of danger, his abnormally large paws carried him as fast as the possibly could through the maze of alleys and back streets and his ears listening for any signs of dogs or humans. Suddenly he dug his paws into the snowy ground below and skidded to a stop at the center of a crossroad.

"Nononononono!" he thought as he frantically looked at his surroundings and not recognizing anything, apparently, he had gotten lost in his rush to escape.

"Are you lost pup?!" said a gruff voice behind him

Balto turned to look at him and saw a large black and white malamute towering above him and staring at him with an evil smile that showed his sharp canines. The terrified pup became frozen in terror feeling his stubby legs shaking he frantically looked behind him to see if there were any escape routes but turned to face the malamute again upon hearing his growling.

"This is my territory, did you know that?" he growled, showing his teeth again.

Balto tired to speak but found all words stolen from him, he shook his head meekly to signal negation.

The dog chuckled darkly before pointing at the thin slabs of meat clutched between his jaws.

"Where did you get that, pup?!"

"Uhhhhh, I-""You stole that didn't you?!" He spat before advancing towards the wolf/dog pup making him back away.

"And you stole that in my territory." he emphasized. "Do you wanna know what I do to wolf pups who steal from my territory?"

"N-no." he cried in high pitched voice.

"Too bad buddy!" he smiled before barking and chasing the Balto.

The wolf-dog pup barely had time to turn around and begin running away only hearing the older dog's barking and soon his heavy pawsteps chasing behind him.

"Get outta here wolf dog!" yelled the malamute behind him before snapping at his hindquarters.

Soon after this the malamute stopped and saw Balto continue running until he lost sight of him. the malamute panted for a few moments before smiling and turning back.

"Damn, that wolf-dog is fast…" he whispered

Meanwhile, the world around Balto blurred as he increased his pace, with sheer terror being the only thing that fueled his strides. He wanted to cry, he wanted to get out of the miserable town he called home, he wanted his mother back. This had become a routine for Balto having dogs chase him out but never had they been so intimidating or aggressive.

Suddenly he saw an exit just a few blocks away and by the looks of it, it led towards the bay area full of places to hide.

"Perfect!" he thought as he pushed himself as far and as fast as his paws could go, the world around him blurred and shifted the only thing in his mind was that exit.

"Almost there! Almost there! Almost-OOF!"

He yelped as his body collided with something soft and furry, then came a feeling of weightlessness before rolling down the slope that led towards the beach and finally stopping beside a large boat. He lay there for a few moments groaning in pain before his ears shot up when he heard growling again. Terror filled his blood once more, thinking it was the same malamute from before until he realized that this growling had a higher pitch and it most likely came from a pup.

"Hey what gives?!" yelled the growling pup. "Do you have any idea of what you just did?!"

Balto turned his head to his right side and saw a small black and white malamute pup (who looked very similar to the older malamute he saw earlier), he appeared to be a couple of months older than him.

"Ummm, n-no" he replied nervously.

"You ruined my pace! Now I'll never be able to finish my laps! And it's all your fault!" he yelled angrily before pouncing at the smaller pup.

Balto yelped before dodging and running into the boat, where he curled up into a ball, covering his eyes with his large paws and began to cry.

"Get back here you!… Huh?" Steele had turned around to face the pup but saw him curled up and shaking in fear.

For a split second, Balto uncovered his eyes and Steele saw the look on them. It was one of pure terror and despair, this made the malamute pup feel guilty for scaring him so much as to make him cry.

"H-Hey are you okay?" he asked calming down from his fit.

The pup just shook his head and continued crying.

"Um, are you hurt? Did I hurt you?" he asked again coming closer to him this time.

"No." he sobbed "I'm okay just… don't tell anyone I'm here."

"What? Why?" asked Steele confused

"Just don't okay!" he yelled "Please."

Steele just stood there for a few moments, confused as to what to do next. Maybe he should leave the other pup and continue on with his training, maybe he should go against the pup's wishes and tell the dog population of his presence, maybe he should ask his father about his problem, or maybe, just maybe…

Balto tensed up upon feeling the older pup's paw on his shoulder, nobody had ever done that to him especially other dogs still, he somewhat enjoyed this strange feeling.

"H-hey it's alright I'm not telling anybody." said Steele with a comforting smile.

"Really?" he asked with a small grin.

"Yeah and… Sorry for scaring you, I didn't mean it." he apologized "I guess it doesn't really matter, I was never going to make it anyway…" he said, his voice becoming gloomy.

"What were you doing? And what did you mean by ruining your pace?" asked Balto sitting beside the older pup.

"Oh, I was just training for the sled team." he replied with a small sigh.

"You're training to be a sled dog?!" asked Balto. Steele noticed that all the sadness and fear in his voice was suddenly replaced with excitement and joy.

"Well…" Steele said, thinking of his arduous training. He had been practicing nonstop, every day, for the past two months all under his father's harsh tutelage, yet no advances were shown so far.

"Yeah! Well, sorta… My dad is the one training me, he is the famous sled dog Rook." He said with pride.

"WHOA! Awesome!" yelled the brown pup beside him before looking down and sighing. "I've always wanted to be a sled dog."

"Really? Then why haven't I seen you around in practice? Or with other mushers?" asked Steele innocently.

Balto's ears perked up immediately at this question while his body tensed up and began shaking once again.

"Uh, I…" said Balto nervously before gulping down heavily.

"What?" asked Steele while scooting away from the shaking pup.

Balto noticed this action and felt fear, this time of losing this new pup's companionship.

"I'm a stray!" yelled Balto making Steele stop in his tracks.

Steele took a proper look at Balto and noticed the dirty spots on his scruffy brown fur, how certain parts of it stuck up into the air and its overall unkempt state. It was quite the opposite from his sleek and bright fur. He thought for a few seconds remembering his parents' words, telling him that strays were dirty lower class dogs who were prone to wild and unruly behavior, but this dog looked harmless to him.

"It's alright, you seem nice." said Steele before realizing something "Hey what's your name?! I forgot to ask." he said smiling sheepishly.

"My name is Balto! What's yours?" he asked smiling while his tail wagged.

"My name is Steele." he said confidently while puffing out his chest a little.

"Hehe, that's a funny name." laughed Balto before an idea popped into his head "Hey! Wanna race?!"

Steele was about to say yes when he remembered his father's words. If he got caught slacking off during his training he would definitely be punished quite harshly especially if his father saw him with Balto who at his father's eyes would be just a filthy stray. But a quiet yet firm voice spoke as well it told him to just have fun.

"Alright! Whoever gets to the beached trawler over there" He said while pointing at an abandoned boat in the distance "Whoever gets there first wins, got it?" said Steele while lowering his body and preparing for the long run.

"Got it!" said Balto doing the same things.

"Okay! Ready? Set! GO!" yelled Steele before the two pups bolted towards the boat.

For the first time since his training had begun, Steele found himself enjoying the run, the feeling of adrenaline, the snow being kicked off behind him, the cold crisp air and just the fun sensation of running free. Free of the pressure his father would put on him and free of all expectations everyone had. As for Balto, he felt the same for the first time in his life he wasn't running because of danger or hunger, he ran for his own desire and amusement, for the first time he was having fun. And for the first time in their lives, both pups had a friend with them.

All too soon, the race came to an end with Steele being the winner by a large margin. Steele waited for Balto to catch up both of them were panting and tired, but still felt like they could keep up for the whole day.

"Not too bad rookie!" laughed Steele when Balto finally got close enough.

"Seriously?!" he beamed.

"Yeah, you kept up with me through most of the way." he replied smiling.

Suddenly both heard a distinct growling coming from both of them.

"Oh man, I haven't eaten in hours." said Steele while Balto's ears drooped.

"I haven't eaten in days but… I had a few pieces of meat from the butcher, which I dropped when I crashed into you." said Balto while laughing a little. "We can go get them if you don't mind looking for them."

"Don't worry and if it's not enough I could always just go and give the butcher some puppy eyes for more." said Steele before turning towards the town "C'mon buddy!"

Those words struck the wolf-dog like a lightning bolt. This pup who just a few minutes ago had tried to attack him was now calling him his friend. Balto just gave him a big smile before the two of them were once again running back into Nome, both feeling like their friendship would last forever.

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 **A/N: AAAAAAAND THAT WAS CHAPTER ONE :D WHADAYA ALL THINK? **CRICKET NOISES** :'D**

 **Welp, hopefully, I won't get depressed anytime soon, since I got many more of these planned (But so did my other stories :/ )  
Also more Balto stories will come... Eventually... Maybe... If Tyler helps me CX**

 **NimbusFox out!**


	2. Chapter 2:The last light preview

**_SUP! So guess what, I'm going on vacation with mah fam and since I got kinda busy with the holidays which reminds me (Merry Christmas/happy holidays/happy kwanza/happy Hanukkah/happy Festivus/I'm such an asshole because I missed a few/ I am offended) and a Happy New Year!_**

 _ **So sorry for the lack of content, but don't worry I'll continue as much as I can during my vacation and I should be back home writing as usual on the 11th**_

 _ **So yeah! New chapter! KINDA~its kind of a preview for the next chapter. Just a heads up it was kinda rushed so if you spot any grammar or spelling issues be sure to let me know, also check for some easter eggs that may come in handy in future chapters!**_

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 _ ***~Fourteen Days Earlier~ Nome, Alaska, 12:30 A.M. Sunday, February 1st, 1925:***_

The night's veil covered the cold and barren Alaskan tundra and the winds howled fiercely as the passing blizzard ravaged the land with its raw, icy gale while keeping the moon and the northern lights' glow away from the frigid landscape. There amidst the raging blizzard and deep within the frozen land lay the town of Nome, a small spec of human presence within kilometers of wilderness and untamed nature, a light one could say in the middle of total obscurity. Tonight, however, the town was gloomy and dark almost blending with the white of the snow, perhaps it was a fitting mood considering the situation at hand.

For the past couple of weeks, the north-west tip of Alaska had been the victim of a nearly unstoppable epidemic, a plague called Diphtheria. This disease, which mostly targeted young children causing them to cough violently, have difficulty breathing until their throats closed up and eventually die of asphyxiation.

This was the case of one little girl named Rosie, who was laying in a hospital bed in the far corner beside a window looking into the town's bay and into the frozen sea beyond. She quivered and stirred inside her bed, groaning at the burning pain inside her neck.

Laying her dying owner's stomach was a rust and cream colored husky with an unending love her owner. This husky's name was Jenna and by the mood of the people around her, she appeared to be the only living soul in the entire ghost of a town with a spec of hope for the dying children. For almost ten days the children had been resting on their beds fighting the deadly disease with little to no success, it was evident by the somber looks, the meaningless words of comfort and even the lights of the town, which slowly turned off plunging the town into a dark void of despair. But the husky refused to give up on her owner just like she hadn't given up on her almost 4 years ago.

Suddenly her ears perked up upon hearing the voice of doctor Curtis Welch "Any news of the team?" he asked "I'm afraid not, both Koyuk and White Mountain say they haven't seen the team." said the voice of the man. After the outbreak of the disease had caused a quarantine in the hospital, Nome had put their hopes on their best sled dogs to recover the vital medicine from the town of Nenana and at first the mission was a success the dogs had arrived in record time and left shortly after with an arrival estimated to take no more than three days. It had been five days since they had last heard from the team.

Doctor Welch sighed as he took off his glasses "I'm afraid it doesn't matter anymore." he said in a somber tone. All of the families in the hospital, including Rosies', turned their gazes towards him and watched as all the hope he had left and drained away from his eyes. He rubbed his eyes trying to wipe away some of the forming tears from his eyes before fully covering his face with his hands in shame and despair. Finally, he opened his mouth and mumbled "I suggest… You say your final goodbyes… Just in case."

Soon Nome's general hospital echoed with the cries of multiple parents as they finally lost all hope for their dying children. Tonight Nome and its population were truly lost, all but Jenna for she knew of one final hope for that might save the doomed town.

After learning of that the team set out to retrieve the medicine had disappeared a local stray named Balto had set out into the blizzard to find the team and deliver the medicine, wanting to save Rosie and the rest of the children. After finding out about this Jenna followed Balto's trail, wanting to aid him his journey for the medicine but as fate would have it she was injured during a bear attack, forcing her to return to Nome along with Balto's friends, leaving her dear friend to complete the task alone. Balto had assured her he would be fine because of his heritage and mixed blood. Because Jenna knew something that everyone else in Nome knew, the heroic stray was half-wolf. Son of a proud sled dog and a mysterious wild wolf. This had once made an outcast of the poor half-wolf but Jenna believed this genetic quirk would keep him alive long enough to rescue the team and the children who depended on the medicine's arrival. Balto's resolve and a promise of return had given the husky enough hope to hold on to.

Her hopes, however, were short-lived.

Upon arriving in Nome she relayed the information to rest of the dogs in town, trying desperately to convince them that there was still a chance their owners would survive but the dogs wouldn't listen. They ridiculed Balto saying there was no chance "a mutt like him" could be of any help, she had almost exploded with anger upon hearing this. Even when he had ventured out into a blizzard, even when their owners were in danger, even when this could be the only hope they had they just wouldn't let go of their stupid prejudice and hatred towards the valiant half-breed. The situation only worsened when an exhausted, ice-covered Steele returned to Nome and barged into the old mill and told all the dogs in the old mill a story of how Balto had attacked the team and deliberately destroyed the medicine. Most of the dogs believed Steele without hesitation and considered him a tragic hero despite Jenna's pleas to believe her. But then Steele told of how Balto had died and even though Jenna refused to believe him, her soul was crushed when she thought of the possibility that indeed Balto had died. Not only would she lose the owner that had saved her, but she would also lose the wolf she had loved for most of her life. And finally what truly broke Jenna's spirit was when Steele pulled out her orange bandana, an item she had given to Balto praying it would keep him warm enough to finish the mission and come back home safely to her.

But then.

"He said he wanted me to take of you." These words brought Jenna back from her trance of sadness and made her realize that this whole time Steele was lying, hopefully. On that moment Jenna had given him a disdainful look before accusing him of lying and leaving the building altogether.

With her hope resurrected she went to a hilltop on the side of the town carrying a few broken bottles and a stolen lantern and after carefully placing the bottles in front of the light she created a faux-northern lights effect that Balto had taught hear a few days ago, hoping the lights would guide him home she hilltop to spend what could be her final moments with her owner. But that had been hours ago, and she now feared the worst, Balto the dog she had loved for many years was dead and soon all of Nome would die with him.

She cast one final look at the sky through the window and sighed, tears slowly creeping up to her eyes.

"Oh, Balto." she began to sob "Where are you?"

* * *

 _ **So did you guys like it? **Gets hit with a tomato ** : 'D**_

 _ **Welp this is it, I'm off for the week see ya! Thank Tyler for encouraging me and never give up on me 3 also thanks to The Cool Kat, the author of Balto Heritage of The Wolf yadda yadda yadda, it truly was an inspiration for this story and its contents along with Days of Spring which you can find on the Balto Animation Source. Well I gotta sleep, it's 1:00 am and I must be awake by 4:30 Xd Hope you guys liked it!**_

 _ **EDIT: OK I MAY HACE SPOILED SOMETHING HUUUUGE SO I KINDA DELETED IT. Nevermind what it said, let's hope not many people read it XB**_

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 _ **Edit: IT'S ALMOST DONE! :D (STUPID THESIS PROJECT TAKING ALL MY TIME! 7_7)**_

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 **EDIT 2: I'M NOT DEAD! D: (Sadly) I'M STILL VERY BUSY WITH COLEGE AND FINALS AND JUST A NEW SHIT TON OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR IN THIS SHITTY, LOW-BUDGET SOAP OPERA CALLED "ELIJAH'S LIFE"**

 **But seriously just give me until my graduation (Which is in 2 weeks tops) and I'll be free to do as I please . This edit was pretty much me correcting a bunch of mistakes and a little reminder that I'm not letting this story die (Or else Tyler might kill me.)**

 **Hopefully I'll post an update soon! Cheers!**


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